FATALITY INQUIRY Day 1
Home > Blog > FATALITY INQUIRY Day 1Members of the Elder Advocates of Alberta Society attended the Fatality Inquiry today.
The Fatality Inquiry hearing provides incredible nuggets which portray what continues to happen in these care facilities, nothing has changed in over 20 years.
Mr.W. Pavlic speaking for the Jubilee Lodge Nursing Home, stated that there had been no negative incidents in the years she had been in care. (Perhaps that refers to incidents that did not became public).
1) One incident is too many.2) Our website www.elderadvocates.ca cites four accounts of extreme neglect at the Jubilee Lodge Nursing Home under the column, ‘Nursing Home Violence‘ items #5, #6, #7 & #8 which resulted in death.Item #7 is the coroners Autopsy Report of another scalding at the Jubilee Lodge Nursing Home of some years ago which describes the individual having been “blanched”. Item #6, is a signed letter by a Mr. Clarence Christensen.
Katy Emptor, the contracted Protection For Person in Care Act investigator, who cannot be held accountable by the Ombudsman or anyone because she is not a government employee, stated she ‘believed’ a number of things, but got her information which she reported as factual, from an unregistered staff/PCA. These contracted investigators hold great power in that they determine whether it should be referred for criminal investigation. According to the Inquiry, if we had not stirred up considerable publicity in January and February of 2004, the police would not have been involved at all. If this matter had concerned any other segment of society, the criminal code would have been applied and the person who ‘dipped’ Jennie Nelson twice, would most probably been charged with criminal neglect.
Did Ms. Emptor take note that the staff of the Jubilee Lodge Nursing Home failed to report the horrific injury according to the Protection For Persons in Care Act Section 2. Part 1?Were charges laid against the Jubilee Lodge Nursing Home for failing to report according to Section # 2, part 5 of the Protection For Persons In Care Act?
The callous, indifferent attitude of professional staff is apparent as they failed to send this “violently flailing” elder (even after she had received an injection of morphine) for care, care which they were not equipped to provide.It was an hour before she was taken to the hospital by ambulance, the ambulance Report stated that the patient was “flailing violently”.
A lawyer had applied to the court to represent us at the Inquiry. He was disallowed standing, if he had been granted standing, we would have had access to all the documents exhibits.
Unfortunately, given the track record of the legislators over the past thirty years, when the smoke settles, nothing will have changed.
We are calling for accountability:1) ethical, inclusive, enforceable protective legislation2) ethical, measurable, enforceable standards with strong penalties for those who fail to enforce them.
Elder Advocates of Alberta Society,